Same Old Love
by a-better-world
Summary: When Monday after detention rolls around, Claire decides that things need to change. And soon. (Another 'what happens on Monday' fic.)
1. Monday: Part 1

**I do realise that there's a lot of 'what happened on monday' stories, but I felt like there hasn't been any new ones in a while, so I wanted to write something. Hope you like it, and please leave reviews. I'm not sure how many chapters this story will have, but readers' support always contributes to inspiration, doesn't it?**

* * *

There was something about his manners (or maybe lack of thereof) that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. He was the textbook definition of danger – every parent's nightmare. Especially for parents of good girls like Claire.

Truth be told, Claire was starting to get tired of the whole 'good girl' stereotype. Sure, she liked being involved in activities at school, she liked having friends that cared about her opinion (except not about her _actual_ opinion, more like an opinion that suited her social status and was expected of someone like her) and she really liked all the attention she got from boys – part of the package of being a popular teenage girl. Those boys were nothing like John, however. True, not all of them did well academically, some of them had a reasonable amount of swagger, and they quite often made crude jokes. John still stood out to her. He somehow managed to mix all of those things within him in a way that made him ridiculously attractive.

The attraction Claire felt towards him was besides his looks (although those shouldn't be underestimated either), it was about the way he spoke, the things he said, the way he looked at her. Andy would later tell Claire that she and Bender really should tone it down with the eye sex. Admittedly, she did find it difficult to avert her eyes from John sometimes, even after a reasonable amount of time one should look at another passed.

She once read an article on flirting in _Cosmo_ , and what stood out the most was that one needed to hold another person's gaze for more than three seconds to demonstrate attraction. John seemed to abide by that rule unconsciously. Every time she said something to him that eventful Saturday, his eyes would meet hers and keep looking until something distracted them both. Every time he looked at her, it was different, though. Sometimes shocked – like when she asked Vernon why anyone would need to steal a screw or when she said that it's okay for a guy to be a virgin; sometimes resentful – that trick with the lipstick; sometimes bewildered – like when she kissed him lightly on the neck. His looks were never plain, they always constituted something important. He seemed good at controlling his facial expressions so as to not appear an open book to others, but it's his eyes that gave away everything. To her, at least.

At some point, it became almost impossible not to smile when looking at him. Especially when he was being himself – a bully that didn't really mean the bullying, doing it just because he didn't know how to act differently, and not out of maliciousness. That's what Claire saw in him, anyway. Somehow she knew that, despite having stuck his head between her thighs, he would never do something like that seriously. That was especially clear when, after she had kissed his neck, he looked at her with a lost expression on his face, and a smile that was forcing its way through. She knew he'd never make a move first and would never force himself on her unless she made it abundantly clear that she wanted that. So Claire decided to make it clear.

Frankly, she was terrified. She didn't believe herself to be what someone would call a conventional beauty. So what if John made jokes about her constantly? Maybe he just did that out of resentment for rich people that she represented in his eyes? Maybe he said all those things and stuck his head between her legs just to be nasty? She didn't know for sure if there was any possibility of him actually liking her. The real her, because she was positive John would never like a stereotypical popular girl. So she took a leap of faith and planted a kiss on his neck, although her heart did threaten to jump out of her chest as she did it. But his face after that was priceless, and Claire never regretted taking that risk.

It seemed like it was all about risks with John.

Her friends always joked that Claire was waiting for a prince in shining armour – mainly because she loved old Hollywood classic movies with their cheesy romances and always imagined that something like that would eventually happen to her.

Her best friend Julia always criticised those movies. "How on earth can Susan say that David is the only man she ever loved if she'd only met him two hours ago?" She would ask, throwing her hands in the air in question, as they watched _Bringing up Baby_. "In real life, Jan would never forgive him," she would shake her head at the characters of _Pillow Talk_.

Claire usually didn't say anything in response. She understood perfectly well that things like that didn't happen in everyday life, but she really hoped that hers would be an exception. She didn't need anything magical from a relationship. She just wanted real feelings, and all her friends seemed fine with dating guys they didn't particularly like just because. But Claire wanted romance, she wanted someone who would live to see the smile on her face, and every kiss with that person would feel like thunder and lightning.

So now there was John, someone who for the first time made her fell those butterflies in her stomach and heat between her legs. Someone who made her hands sweat with worry when talking to him without anyone else present. Someone whose kiss did feel like nothing she'd ever felt before. So there was no way she would let it go. Not now, not ever.

* * *

Claire spent the weekend after Saturday detention in her room, alternating between her homework and phone conversations. Except phone conversations with her friends didn't last as long as they used to before. Julia kept talking about her boyfriend Stan, who as she said, never treated her right, yet she would never gather the courage to break up with him. She actually believed that it was better to stay with him, hating her life, than being alone.

Claire didn't judge her friend. If anything, she felt sorry for her because despite playing the same game of pleasing the crowd quite often, Claire had never gone as far as being in a relationship that sucked, just for social status. She didn't think it necessarily made Julia shallow, merely lost.

Claire also spent a while deciding in advance what she was going to wear on Monday. She always chose her clothes the night before so that she could sleep in a little longer in the morning, but this time she took way longer than usual. She wanted to wear something that wouldn't let John tear his eyes off her, but also something that looked effortless (at least to an extent). She considered a mini dress for a minute, but then realised that that didn't say effortless even a little bit. Eventually she decided to wear a plaid skirt (shorter than what she usually wore) and a colourful top. She hoped John would notice the length (or rather, shortness) of her skirt and would be impressed. Claire thought of wearing heels for a while, but then decided against it – that would be too much, Bender would definitely know she was trying to impress him.

Getting out of her father's car on Monday was nerve-wrecking. Julia, Madison and Beverly – her closest friends – were waiting for her at the bottom of the steps by the main entrance to the school. It was a rule amongst the popular crowd to never walk the halls alone – the more people walked with you, the better. Beverly was talking to Mason Fallon – one of Andy's acquaintances and a football player; she was smiling at him and flicking her long hair over her shoulder flirtatiously, her skirt – part of her cheerleading uniform – only just covering her butt. Claire barely resisted rolling her eyes at that. Beverly didn't even like the guy that much, she was just desperate to find a new boyfriend since her college love had broken up with her a week ago.

" _Heeey_ ," Julia linked her arm with Claire's. "Looking stunning as always. Those knee high socks look great on you, I'm _so_ happy they made a comeback. Thank God you're all mentally recovered after that _terrible_ detention…"

Claire unconsciously stopped listening to what her friend was saying as they entered the school, she couldn't stop thinking about John. She might see him soon. What should she do? Should she come up and say hi? Stop for a short chat? Or should she just smile as she walked past? More importantly, what was _he_ going to do? Would he ignore her? Most likely. After all, they're in completely different crowds. But then, she felt like Saturday changed a lot about the way all five of them thought of school life. Maybe something would be different, and despite the fact that he didn't promise her anything specific, it might happen that he decides to change his tactics too. She sure as hell hoped he would. She didn't even want to think about him not talking to her again, or worse even, pretending that nothing happened between them on Saturday.

"…so everyone's talking about that Allison girl," Claire heard by accident.

"What did you say?" she turned to look at Julia, stopping in her tracks.

Madison gave her a condescending look for not knowing the fresh gossip. "Haven't you heard about Andy's new girlfriend?"

"Yeah," nodded along Julia. Beverly wasn't part of this conversation, her arm was linked with Mason's arm, and the guy seemed extremely happy as she told him a joke that, judging by his reaction, was the funniest one on the planet. "Mason just told us five minutes ago that he saw Andy smooch her by the lockers. Apparently they're together. Everyone's saying that he just lost a bet and _has_ to date her now."

Claire frowned, "Why would anyone say that?"

"Well, why else would he date her?" Madison asked, and then lowered her voice to mock-whisper, "The girl's a psycho."

Claire stopped at her lockers, not knowing how to respond to that. Normally, she would just agree and contribute to the insult, because that was what popular kids did in this school. Bringing everyone else down to appear cool. But this was her _friend_ they were talking about.

To some extent, it scared her. If this was how they took Andy dating Allison, what will they say about her and John? Well, it wasn't like they were dating anyway. But she hoped one day they would. Even though John said he wasn't into that kind of thing.

"Well, I think she's real pretty," she shrugged like it was nothing, hoping they wouldn't act too weird about her not bitching about Allison.

"Not even," disagreed Madison.

Claire shut her locker and then pulled her skirt down a little bit, suddenly self-conscious about its length. Her motion didn't escape her friends, but they didn't say anything, merely exchanged a look of wonder.

"And Andy wouldn't date someone just because he lost a bet, he's better than that. Besides, don't you guys think it's none of our business?"

Julia and Madison exchanged another look and suddenly burst out laughing. Claire wasn't amused and simply rolled her eyes at them. Having noticed that, Julia's eyes widened, "Oh you're serious."

Claire rolled her eyes again and, letting out a huff, started to walk ahead, leaving her friends behind her. Julia gave Madison an accusing look, and Madison shrugged, then they both caught up with their friend. "Wait, Claire," Julia said, linking her arm with Claire's again. "Are you alright? You seem… strange today. What happened in that detention anyway?"

"A lot," Claire said. "But that's beside the point. I just think we should concentrate on ourselves, rather than bitching about others. For one, what are we even doing about the school dance in two weeks? Have you sorted out the problem with air conditioning? You said at the council meeting that you'd look into that," she asked Madison.

Madison looked down. "No."

"Well, that needs to be taken care of. The school board won't let us have a dance if the air conditioning isn't fixed in the gym. So worry about that, and stop bitching about Allison, okay?"

Beverly caught up with them just in time to hear Claire's last sentence. She frowned, but in an amused way. "What happened to you in that detention? Crowned yourself queen of this school?"

Claire ignored her. "I better get to homeroom. Don't want to be late."

Beverly exchanged looks with Julia and Madison who still couldn't quite grasp what was happening to their friend and what caused such changes. She then followed Claire because they were in homeroom together.

Out of all three girls, Beverly was the one least close to Claire. But Claire never felt uncomfortable around her, a lot less dependent on her approval. They shared a few moments of comfortable silence while walking to their homeroom.

"So who is he?" suddenly asked Beverly, taking Claire completely by surprise.

"What?" she looked at her friend, bewildered.

"The guy you dressed up for."

"I didn't dress up for anyone," Claire huffed, rolling her eyes in mock-frustration.

"Sure," Bev chuckled, not believing her for a second.

"What makes you think that?"

"It's simple. You never wear skirts so short, and you clearly feel uncomfortable because you keep pulling it down. And knee high socks? Seriously? You definitely want to draw attention to your legs. Also, that's a lot of eyeliner you're wearing. You're probably the shyest one out of our crew, you wouldn't dress like that unless you were planning to impress somebody."

They walked into the classroom and took their seats, Beverly behind Claire. After they settled in, Beverly tapped Claire's back.

"And the push-up bra is a good clue too," she whispered into her friend's ear, making Claire's face go crimson red.

"Can't believe you noticed that," she whispered back in frustration, crossing her arms on her chest.

"So who is he? That's why you've been all uptight this morning, right? Trying to be a better person to impress him? I get it, guys dig that stuff."

It sometimes scared Claire how observant Beverly was. She could definitely be fickle from time to time, but Claire had to admit that out of their whole clique she was probably the most independent-minded. She was a practising Christian who attended church every Sunday morning because she wanted to, and not because she was forced by her parents (like a lot of people Claire knew). She was definitely kinder than most of other Claire's friends, and now Claire actually wondered why she isn't closer with this girl. Truth be told, Beverly always had a busy schedule – she was the president of Christian club in their school and obviously a cheerleader. Maybe that's why they didn't spend as much time together.

Claire turned around to look at her.

"Since when are you a psychic? You weren't even listening to our conversation. You were busy flirting with Mason."

"Oh please," Bev scrunched her nose, which only made her look prettier, and flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder in a classy gesture. "I only need him to drive me to school in the mornings because my parents banned me from using my car."

"So you don't like him?" Claire asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise. Although, it was true, Mason wasn't known for being kind without expecting anything in return. Selflessness just didn't seem to be in his habit.

Bev huffed. "I'd want a guy who has a brain," she paused, looking down at her nails covered with bright red nail polish. "Besides, I don't think I'm over Ryan. Dating someone so soon would be unfair. On both me and the guy."

Once again Claire thought that maybe she misjudged her friends just like she misjudged the people in other cliques.

They couldn't talk anymore because Miss Mills – their homeroom and French teacher – came in. "Let's all settle down please," she said, and Claire turned away from Beverly to face the front of the classroom. She didn't listen to the register though. She kept thinking about how much she needed to change, especially in terms of her outlook on the people who surrounded her. And that she needed to spend more time with Beverly – she would definitely be a good influence.

* * *

"Seriously, I need a name."

On the way to Maths, they stopped by Bev's locker, and she was swapping textbooks and looking at herself in the mirror, quickly fixing her lipstick.

"Whose name?"

Bev rolled her eyes, "Don't give me that. The name of the guy you like."

"You're not going to like it. It might come as a shock."

She huffed. "Try me."

Claire shook her head with a slight smile. If asked, Beverly could keep a secret, and to be honest Claire was dying to talk to someone about what happened on Saturday.

She let out a sigh. "Fine. His name is John Bender."

Beverly glanced at Claire from behind her locker's door, confusion on her face. "That was weirdly anticlimactic. Don't know anyone by that name. Is he from our clique at all?"

Claire didn't respond. She finally saw _him_. He was walking across the hall with a few of his friends who were dressed in a similar way and had similar reputations, but were nothing like John. Because no one could be like John, he was different from everyone, in his own special way. He hasn't noticed her yet, but he would soon if he kept walking that way. Somewhere in the background she could hear Beverly shut her locker but didn't pay attention because John _finally_ looked at her. Once he did, it felt like her whole body was on fire. She subconsciously wiped her palm on her skirt because they started to sweat. She tried to control the expression on her face so that all her worry wouldn't show, and gave him the best smile she could master at this particular moment. He nodded slightly and smiled back in one of his amazingly attractive ways. When John was a little further ahead but Claire could still see him, he flipped his hair in a signature gesture and Claire's breath hitched when she noticed that he was wearing her earring. She was hoping that that was intentional. Maybe he did it to give her a sign that he was still interested in… whatever it was that happened between them on Saturday. He wanted more of that, just like she did. At least she hoped it wasn't an accident but a deliberate attempt to convey a message without actually speaking to her.

And then it all ended. He walked on forward, and a moment that felt like an eternity finally ended. Claire was happy with the way it went. They didn't speak and didn't say hi to each other openly, but Rome wasn't built in a day. They were moving forward. Baby steps.

Claire tried to wipe the delirious smile off her face and turned to look at Beverly who was leaning against her closed locker, her arms crossed over her chest. She shook her head.

"What?" Claire asked, a wave of heat that usually came with panic hitting her body.

"So _that's_ your knight in shining armour," she looked down the corridor again, in the direction in which he walked away. "Okay. Makes sense why you didn't want to tell. But honestly, it's no shock to me."

With that, Beverly walked off down the hall, and Claire had to catch up with her. She realised she didn't have to worry about this. Bev didn't seem to be judgmental of her at all. If anything it looked like she approved.

"Why not?" Claire asked, clutching her Maths textbook to her chest.

"Well," Bev flipped her hair in her usual gesture, her face completely relaxed, a smile on her lips, "you don't seem to dig any of the popular boys. Because if you did, you'd've dated someone by now, for sure – it's not like you don't have any opportunities. But you haven't, and that means your taste is somewhat… different. Also, you're trying to change your ways – don't want to appear as shallow, and that wouldn't appeal to guys from our circles, so it has to be someone who actually cares about your personality and who won't be impressed by your popularity," she paused. "That guy you like, he's very good-looking, has the whole bad boy dynamic to him. I think that's what made you so interested in the first place. But then you got to know him – in detention on Saturday, I'm guessing? He looks like someone who's in detention a lot – and once you got to know him you realised he has an interesting personality and he actually turns you on and excites you like no one else ever has."

Claire didn't know what to say to that, her friend's observance left her speechless.

"Hmmm. John Bender," Beverly said his name like she was tasting it on her tongue. "Nice name."

They got to their Maths classroom and took their seats. A few minutes into the period, Vernon came in – surprising everyone (in case of Claire – unpleasantly) by saying that their teacher had called in sick, so there would be a substitute, but ultimately this period would be used as an independent study lesson.

"Take it as a chance to finish any homework you haven't paid enough attention last weekend," he said, pointing his finger at Derek Gilbert – another member of the popular crowd with whom Claire shared Maths lessons.

Once he left, Bev turned to face Claire. "So tell me everything."

Claire sighed, but then smiled slightly and thought that maybe this wasn't a bad idea. She now realised that Bev was a lot less shallow than she seemed at first – or maybe Claire just never bothered to pay attention before. She briefly told her about the things that were done in detention on Saturday and mentioned the closet moment without going into particular details.

"But I really like him," she said, looking at her nails and smiling.

"I can tell. You seem to have changed after this weekend. I like it. I hope it works out for you and John."

Claire smiled, looking at Bev as she wrote something, taking some notes down from a Physics textbook. Bev was incredibly beautiful, if Claire could say so. Her body was the textbook definition of perfection. She was relatively tall, with long legs. She had blue eyes and blonde hair, and was quite busty, but skinny at the same time. She was any guy's dream, but now that she thought of it, Claire realised that Bev didn't date that much. Just her college boyfriend, with whom she was for almost two years and with whom she broke up because he was cheating on her. She'd heard the details before but didn't think much of it, too concentrated on her own problems of how to uphold an image of a perfect popular girl. Bev was also smart, always got good grades almost effortlessly.

But most importantly, she didn't have to be nice to Claire, but still was. That might sound weird, especially since they were considered 'friends', but really, Claire now realised that Bev wasn't close to anyone in their clique, she just sort of hung out with everyone to the same extent. So she was everyone's friend, but she didn't gossip, and not many people knew that much about her. She didn't have to be nice to Claire at all, didn't need to be concerned about this boy she liked or whatever happened to her on Saturday. More than that, she didn't have to be supportive of her feelings for John Bender, in fact, it would be expected of her to judge her for condescending to someone who is out of their social league. It seemed to Claire that Bev was placed into the popular crowd merely by the fact that she was a cheerleader, and also pretty and socially outgoing. She wasn't part of teen royalty because she desperately wanted to and was prepared to sacrifice her personality.

The saddest thing was that Claire could've noticed all of this before, had she only paid attention. But she wasn't interested until now. She wanted to do something nice for Bev, to pay her with kindness for her understanding and support.

"You know, my dad could drive you to school every morning. He drives me anyway, and I'm pretty sure your house is on the way, right?" Claire offered.

Bev threw her head back, her hair flowing beautifully, shining in the light and let out a laugh. "You don't have to _buy_ my silence. I'm not a blabber mouth, your secret romance with John is safe with me."

Claire smiled. "That's not why I offered. Although, yes, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone for now."

"No problem," Bev shrugged, finding a ruler in her pencil case to continue with her Physics notes.

"But what do you think? Would you like that? You wouldn't have to flirt with Mason."

She smiled at Claire. "I'd love that. If you mean it."

Claire frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

Bev shrugged. "Well, you don't seem to like your friends being around your parents that much."

It was true. Claire never wanted her dad to pick up her friends with her, mainly because she didn't want him to listen to all the chatter of boys and latest gossip. She didn't want her parents to know what sort of things they discussed, and how immature they sometimes were. But she didn't think that would be a problem with Bev. She could be trusted.

"Don't worry about it," she gave Bev a sheepish smile. "The ride is yours for as long as you need it."

"Thank you."

"Also, Bev?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something I need to do at lunch today, and I need your help."

"What is it?" Bev frowned, confused.

"I'm just going to help a friend, and I'll need you for my plan."

Bev rubbed her hands together. "Fill me in."

Claire smiled and leaned forward, "So here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading. Please, review!**


	2. Monday: Part 2

**Here I am, updating so quickly. Can't even believe myself. I think this story will have four chapters. That could still change though, so stay tuned.**

 **Please leave reviews, they make my day.**

* * *

On their way to lunch, Claire and Beverly were still discussing John and last Saturday's detention.

Beverly laughed in that peculiar but very attractive way of hers, pushing her hair away from her face. "Wait, so Allison didn't do anything and just sentenced herself to detention?"

Claire laughed. "Yep."

Bev solemnly shook her head. "I like that girl. I admire people who know they are weird and own it. That's something our crew needs to learn to do. Stop being so damn identical."

"Definitely."

They turned the corner, and Claire realised that there was only one corridor left to walk – in a minute she'll either embrace a huge change or live despised by the Breakfast Club. And herself.

Bev must've noticed her worry. "You've decided where you'll sit?"

"I think so. You still with me?"

"I might be part of our clique, but they don't own me. I can sit with whomever I want, and if sitting with you weirdos promises a good conversation, I'm up for it. Sort of tired discussing boys and manicure all the time."

Claire never even realised before how brave Bev was. She did whatever she wanted, and still remained popular. Maybe Claire could do the same. Or maybe that's what being popular meant. Being yourself no matter what people think of you. Bev never even attempted to hide that she was Christian _and_ a virgin, she always answered any questions honestly and with a calm face that would make anyone who'd want to laugh at her feel stupid. Because, what's there to laugh at?

They entered the cafeteria, and Claire once again wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. If she was about to lose all her friends, then at least she'll have the Breakfast Club. And Bev. She wouldn't care about Claire's social status, even if she was going to commit social suicide.

Claire looked over to the centre of the cafeteria – where the popular crowd usually sat – and noticed that Andy was there, eating his sandwich. He didn't seem happy though, wasn't talking to anyone, blankly staring in front of him or at the wooden surface of the table. Madison and Julia waved at both Claire and Bev, as if neither of them would know how to find their usual seats. Beverly waved back with a smile, Claire did the same – albeit a little hesitantly.

She looked a little to the left – the seats by the windows were usually the area of nerds and social outcasts, and just like she expected, Brian was there, sat at a huge, almost empty table with… Allison. She retained the makeover Claire gave her last Saturday, putting her hair away from her face and wearing some makeup. She looked good.

And then she saw Bender. He sat by the bins with all other burnouts, they were throwing food at each other, some of them were smoking, and one guy had a girl on his lap, whom he was kissing passionately. Claire crunched up her nose for a second.

"Shall we?" Beverly spoke to Claire, waking her up from the stupor.

Claire was about to nod, but then realised she couldn't do it. She was terrified of the consequences. She shook her head at Bev and, without saying a word and already hating herself for being such a chicken, started walking towards the central area to join her shallow but popular friends. She heard Bev say something to her, but didn't pay attention. She tried to keep her head down as she walked. However, when she felt (rather than noticed) John watching her, she stopped in her tracks. She could live with self-loathing, but if John hated her – actually hated _her_ , and not because she was rich or pretty or popular, but because she was a bitch by her own choice – she wouldn't be able to live with that. He had known she would do something like this, that she'd never have the courage to stand up to her friends.

Suddenly, she wanted to prove him wrong. She turned to look at Beverly who was hovering behind her, "Actually…"

And Claire changed her route, walking up towards Brian's table.

"Hey," she offered sheepishly to Brian and Allison. She could see Brian was surprised, his hand had frozen mid-air, the sandwich not having quite reached his mouth. Allison didn't seem baffled, she was smiling at Claire, and somehow that smile felt like the best reward in the world. "This is Beverly," she motioned to her, who was now stood to Claire's right. "She's my good friend, Captain cheerleader."

Bev set her things on the floor and sat next to Brian, facing Allison. "Claire told me so much about you guys."

"Hey," Allison and Brian said in unison, baffled by whom they were talking to.

Claire took a seat next to Allison, trying desperately to ignore the fact that her 'friends' were whispering vigorously on her account, and smiled at her real friends.

"You're Brian, right?" Bev asked. "I heard you're real smart. And in the Latin club?"

Claire saw Brian blush deeply and put his sandwich down. "Yeah- I'm uh- In the Latin club. Yeah."

Beverly gave him a huge, but sincere – Claire could tell it was – smile. "That's so cool. I've actually wanted to join for a while now. I want to be a lawyer one day, and you know, there's lots of Latin in legal terminology. But I'm kind of scared to join because I don't have that much knowledge and I'd honestly seem so stupid compared to all of you guys there," Beverly opened her lunch box and got a fork – she always ate salads or something as healthy as that, this time it was a Caesar salad.

"You mind moving over?" somebody asked Claire on her left, and she turned around to see Andy who finally decided to join them and obviously wanted to sit next to his girlfriend.

"Welcome back," Claire said, giving him a smile that showed she was happy he was here, and moved a seat over.

"Well, you know, you don't need to know that much- um- there are other people who are just learning-" mumbled Brian, looking at Beverly who listened intently, eating her salad, all elegant and sophisticated. "I- well, could tutor- You. I mean, if you want-"

Bev nodded. "I'd love that. You're so sweet. Having that kind of knowledge would look really impressive on a college application."

As Claire listened to them talking (while Allison and Andy were making eyes at each other), she looked to the right – where John sat, and now he resembled Andy a few minutes ago. Not talking to anyone, looking down at his hands, obviously worried and maybe even hating himself. He did that a lot – something that Claire had learned after spending a day with him. He pretended to be all brave and invincible, but behind all his bravado he hid a very sensitive personality. Maybe he just needed help?

"I'll be right back guys," she told them, noticing how Bev was offering Brian to try some of her salad before she left, and feeling her knees shake as she decided to be brave. For John. For herself. For her friends, real friends.

When she walked up to John, all of his friends stopped talking, and all eyes were glued to her. She took a deep breath and moved the weight of her body on one foot – she read in _Cosmo_ that a position like that could demonstrate confidence. And that's what she wanted all of those people to see. That she wasn't worried or afraid, she knew what she was doing. Even though she really didn't. John could easily tell her to get lost right now and leave her humiliated in front of his friends. But she really hoped he wouldn't.

"You lost?" John asked, making her breath stop in her throat, as she remembered their little encounter in that closet.

"I believe you're at the wrong table, John," Claire said, loud and clear, purposefully avoiding calling him Bender to show that their relationship was more personal than that.

She looked him right in the eye, hoping he wouldn't be a jerk about this whole thing because she was pretty sure her whole clique was watching her right now. But to Claire, John was way more important than anything her so-called friends might say. They didn't need to know any details of their relationship, but she wasn't going to pretend not to know him.

He got up, surprising his friends (and Claire, but only a little bit), and said, "Lead the way, Cherry," giving her that signature smirk of his. Come to think of it, most of the things he did she would call his signature things. Claire took his hand and did as he asked.

"Who's the prom queen?" he asked Claire as they were walking up to the table to join others.

"That's Beverly," she said, still holding his hand. "She's real nice."

"Head cheerleader? Nice? That's something I've never heard before."

"Well, come see for yourself."

This time Claire sat next to Bev so that John could sit across from her, next to Andy. "Funny guy, dork," Bender greeted Andy and Brian. Claire rolled her eyes at his words. As always, nothing trivial. "Weirdo," he nodded at Allison, who was now in the process of making her sandwich (she gave him a huge smile), and then looked at Bev, "and prom queen."

Beverly nodded and gave him a sweet smile. "The famous John Bender. I like your earring," she said, making everyone look at him. Claire blushed and stared at the table. She didn't tell Beverly about the earring. She was just always so damn observant.

"Thanks. It was a gift."

"Nice gift."

"Yeah."

They were interrupted by the sound of Allison pressing two slices of bread together to hold the cereal in the sandwich. Then she bit into it.

"Oh my life," Beverly said, everyone glancing at her. She never said God's name in vain and always used substitutes proudly, no matter how 'uncool' by their friends' standards they sounded. "Is that a Captain Crunch sandwich?"

"Yep," nodded Andy, since Allison was occupied by chewing her food.

"I love Captain Crunch with bread!" Bev exclaimed. "I had to cut back on it because of cheerleading, but sometimes I make sandwiches like that. It's diabetes in a sandwich, and I love it."

Claire smiled at that. Bev seemed to fit in more than Claire had expected. As Bev was explaining the best way to add chocolate and peanut butter to a sandwich like that, Claire felt John lean in and whisper into her ear, "Not sure how nice she is, but she's definitely as weird as Allison."

That made Claire laugh.

* * *

Everyone was laughing at something Brian had said, and Bev's laugh was the loudest. Claire noticed that Brian was looking at her a lot, no doubt crushing. She didn't blame him. She's known Beverly for almost four years now and was used to the sort of reaction she caused from guys. She was wondering now whether introducing her to John was such a good idea.

"That's exactly what my father used to say," Beverly laughed, putting her hand on Brian's shoulder. She was flirting. Claire could tell. But this time she was doing it sincerely – whatever she needed from Brian he'd do for her anyway, she didn't have to flirt to get it. Brian was nice, unlike Mason Fallon. So Bev actually _wanted_ to flirt with Brian. And that wasn't something Claire would ever expect.

"So," Allison said, looking at Bev, "Have you done it?" in her usual unceremonious manner, raising her eyebrows. Something Allison seemed to do quite often was ask random question without any reason behind them or without their conversation leading up to it. That's probably what made them so random, anyway.

Bev stopped laughing, but a smile remained on her face. She didn't seem baffled. "You mean sex?" she said simply. "No, I haven't. Still a virgin."

Everyone at the table paused, watching her. Claire already knew the answer to that question, but she was still impressed by how calm Beverly was. She didn't seem to care if people knew. Maybe that's why everyone thought she was so cool.

"Because you're a Christian?" asked Brian. She looked over to him. "I noticed the crucifix," he explained, pointing to the pendant on her neck.

"No, not because of that. I don't believe in the whole 'no sex before marriage' thing," she showed quotation marks with her fingers. "I guess it just hasn't happened for me yet."

Everyone was quiet, then Brian spoke again. "Me neither." Everyone simultaneously looked at him. "I mean, I- I'm a virgin too."

Beverly gave him a smile, "That's cool of you to be able to admit it like that. Guys usually lie about that stuff." Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, but then Bev continued talking like what she'd just heard was nothing. And it probably wasn't. To her, anyway. "But are you guys excited to see _A Nightmare on Elm Street_ in November? I heard it's going to be _insane_ …"

Everyone picked up their conversations, but Claire stopped listening. She moved seats once again, so that she would sit next to John. He looked at her in surprise, but she gave him a smile that she hoped wouldn't show she how worried she really was. She moved her lunch over, picking up the chopsticks with her right hand and putting her left hand under that table so that she could take John's hand. When she first touched him, she felt him freeze for a second but then he seemed to relax and wrap his hand around hers, their fingers intertwining. His thumb caressed the back of her hand, and Claire found she couldn't eat now, she was too concentrated on his touch.

He leaned in. "Have I told you how much I love that skirt?"

With that question, Claire almost forgot how to breathe. Her cheeks felt too warm, and there was also a weird feeling in her stomach. The same feeling she had when John first kissed her after she gave him her earring.

"Did you wear it for me?" he asked, his breath on her ear.

"No," she managed to say.

"Liar."

He let go of her hand and she felt him touch her knee. She, once again, froze, hoping to God that no one could tell what was happening by the expression on her face. Sometimes she could be like an open book.

If somebody asked her, she could never describe what she felt when John's had slowly moved up her thigh. Whatever was happening turned into a giant blur that felt like nothing she had ever felt before. Truth be told, boys had tried to put their hands on her knees before. But it never caused anything but annoyance from her, and she always pushed their hands away, calling them pervs or pigs or whatever it was she usually called them. But John's hand felt like fire on her skin. She was finding it hard to think about anything, to concentrate at all.

Somewhere far, a voice had reached her mind, and she tried to snap out of the fog her brain was in at the moment.

"Claire?" she heard Brian call her name, and something told her this wasn't the first time because everyone at the table was watching her now. John's hand remained on her thigh; he was smiling to himself, no doubt enjoying her embarrassment.

"Yeah?" she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"You're not eating at all. Are you okay?" Brian asked, and Claire saw worry on Bev's face, but then her eyes travelled down, stopping where the wooden surface of the table cut off the view to what was going on under it, and she smiled, looking down. She understood what was happening. Claire never felt more uncomfortable.

"She's okay, Brian," Beverly said.

"But she-"

"So when are you going to start tutoring me?" Bev interrupted him, purposefully and considerately changing the subject. "I'd like to join the club pretty soon."

Brian was once again preoccupied with his conversation with Bev, so Claire turned to look at John. He looked smug. Claire picked up a sushi roll from the plate in front of her and lifted it to John's lips so he would try it. As he ate the food, her fingers lightly touching his lips, she pushed his hand off her thigh under the table.

"Not here," she said quietly, so that he would be the only one to hear.

John chewed the roll, looking pretty content with the taste. "Where, then?"

Claire smiled. "Meet me by the gym after school. I'll think of something."

* * *

After lunch there was homeroom again. On the way there, Claire suddenly looked at Beverly, "Hey, you don't happen to have a spot on the squad for me, do you?"

"I mean… We're full, but I could make one more, I'm Captain," she eyed her friend suspiciously. "Since when do you want to be a cheerleader?"

Claire rolled her eyes, "I don't."

Bev looked up to the ceiling, mockingly-hurt. "How dare you?"

"I mean, it just isn't my biggest dream at the moment. But I could use it as a cover."

"What cover?"

"To see John three times a week after school. And that would also mean that my dad would pick you up with me to drive you home every day?" she gave Bev a mischievous smile.

"Right, you'd just wear the uniform around the school, but never appear at any pep rallies? That's ridiculous, Claire. People will ask questions. Your cover will be blown."

"Did you forget that I did gymnastics for ten years of my life? I don't think learning your routines would be that difficult."

Bev chewed on her bottom lip, thinking it through. Claire hoped she would agree because that would be a perfect opportunity. She would quickly learn the routines, rehearse a little with everyone, and then spend 45 minutes with John before getting picked up by her dad after the practice. All she needed was to find an empty room where no one would disturb them.

"Fine," she finally said. "But don't expect me to put you in any leading positions."

Claire jumped in her spot a little and gave Bev a hug. "Thank you _so_ much. I promise I won't let the team down."

"I'll get you the uniform between fourth and final period – there are spares in the girls' locker room. But you'll have to wear it every day – school spirit and everything," she said it like she didn't believe in it herself. "It should be pretty easy to find your uniform size, you're pretty skinny."

"Thanks," Claire nodded.

"Is Brian sophomore, do you know?" Bev suddenly asked, completely changing the topic.

"Yeah, sophomore like us. You like him? He seemed to like you a lot."

Beverly was silent for a few seconds, looking down and smiling, with a blush creeping up her cheeks, "He's sweet. But I don't know if I'm ready to really like anyone yet."

"That's okay," said Claire, solemn. "Because Brian would wait for you forever," she said, laughter evident in her words, and Bev pushed her shoulder in a mock gesture. But Claire didn't fail to notice that her friend's smile got wider, her eyes shining with laughter.

* * *

In the break before the last period, Claire put on the cheerleader's uniform, and Beverly quickly taught her the routine they were going to practice that day.

"Just make sure you come in for like the last fifteen minutes of the practice. Just to do it with everyone, so that I know what everything looks like and where to put you," instructed her Bev.

"Deal," she agreed readily, and went off to her final period which was actually independent study, and so she could use it to think about the room she should find for herself and John. She spent some time thinking about it, but then realised that the solution was simple. For an hour after school, Vernon would be supervising detention in the library, and in case of short detentions he usually sat in the library rather than in his office across the hall. That meant that the closet not far from the teacher's lounge wouldn't be supervised – Vernon was the teacher who stayed in the longest. And even if any other teachers remained at school after teaching hours, they usually stuck to their classrooms. Claire had been staying after school many times for the student council meetings, so by now she knew the place's routine.

That closet would be the best place to hide in. The only person who could find them in there would be Carl, but something told Claire that he wouldn't be a problem. Especially if she offered him some money.

Right after the final period Claire dropped off her stuff at the girls' locker room and left to find John. As she left, Bev gave her a parting encouraging smile. "45 minutes, Standish!" she reminded Claire, always serious about her cheerleading squad.

Claire found John by the entrance to gym, only around the corner, so that the cheerleaders in gym wouldn't see him. He whistled when he saw her.

"What's up with the masquerade?" he asked, looking her up and down in a way that she would consider offensive, had it been someone else. He seemed impressed. Claire gathered it was mostly due to the length of her skirt. This was one of many benefits of her idea – she could wear the shortest skirts in the world with a legitimate excuse. No one would judge her – cheerleaders weren't judged, not usually anyway.

"No masquerade. I'm a cheerleader now," she put her hands on her waist proudly, smiling at John.

"Since when?"

"Since two hours ago. Trust me, this is a great idea."

"Oh, I'm not arguing about that," John said, looking at her legs near the hem of her skirt – which wasn't that low down, Claire had to admit. She was a lot less shapely than Beverly, so her skirt did appear a little longer, but not that much longer. It was still very short.

Claire smacked his shoulder, "Shut up," but she thought he could tell that her cheeks turned pink with pleasure. She liked the idea of being liked by him. She liked the idea of being wanted by him even more.

Claire looked around and, making sure they were alone, stood on her tiptoes and carefully kissed John. This was harder to do – without the heels she wore on Saturday, the difference in their height was more pronounced. He responded almost immediately, leaning into her with enthusiasm, like he didn't quite know how to do anything else – like he did when they kissed for the first time, in the parking lot, in front of her father. She lifted her arms and touched his face, brushing the stubble on his chin and enjoying the feel of his skin.

When he was about to go in with the tongue, she moved away – just like she did last time – and he followed her by inertia, but then opened his eyes. "Such a tease," he told her.

Truth be told, she had never kissed anyone in that way. And it's not like she didn't want to do it with John. It's just that if she did it here and now, they could be easily interrupted. Or seen. Neither should happen.

"Not here," she smiled, unconsciously looking at his lips and thinking of kissing them again. She then lifted her eyes to meet his and rubbed his shoulder tenderly. "Come with me."

She took his hand and led the way. John obeyed.

* * *

 **I know there's a lot of Beverly in this story. I just felt like I wanted to show that popular people aren't all shallow, and Beverly is a good example of that. Back at school, I know plenty of popular people who are actually nice. But tell me what you guys think.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and please review!**


End file.
